U.K. Must ‘Walk Path Alone’ on EU Vote, Denmark Says

By Peter Levring -
Jan 23, 2013

Denmark won’t follow the U.K. in
holding a referendum on European Union membership as the Nordic
country depends on regional cooperation to achieve its political
goals, two Danish cabinet ministers said.

“If Great Britain should decide to scale down its
membership or leave the EU, the U.K. must walk this path
alone,” European Affairs Minister Nicolai Wammen said today in
a phone interview. “Denmark hopes that the U.K. will remain a
strong member of the EU.”

Prime Minister David Cameron today pledged a referendum by
the end of 2017 on whether his country should leave the EU,
allowing U.K. voters to decide on breaking up the 27-nation
bloc. Denmark has since it joined the EU in 1973 held five
referenda on whether to expand its membership of the bloc, with
the most recent -- a 2000 vote on joining the euro -- leading to
a rejection.

“Denmark doesn’t share the British wish to have a vote on
Europe,” Deputy Prime Minister Margrethe Vestager said by
phone. “In our experience it’s impossible to pursue Danish
interests without being close to the core of Europe. You don’t
have influence or produce results if you’re standing on the
sideline.”

A poll published last month by Danske Bank A/S (DANSKE) showed that
Danish voters regard the euro with more skepticism than at any
time since the single currency’s introduction in 1999. Almost 70
percent of Danes wanted to keep the krone, according to the
poll, which was conducted by Statistics Denmark.

The 2000 referendum ended with 53 percent of voters
rejecting the euro after the government, a majority of lawmakers
in parliament and the country’s central bank had encouraged
Danes to adopt the European currency.